Finding the Lost Robinsons
by Atarah Derek
Summary: After 42 years, Cornelius' birth mother finally tries to contact him. The result brings a bigger change to the Robinson family than anyone expected.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **OK, the idea is to go ahead and upload one short chapter of one of my stories and see if the obligation to continue actually motivates me to do so. If this story ends up looking abandoned (as in no updates for two months or more), feel free to pepper me with irritating questions concerning when I'm gonna get off my lazy butt and write.**  
**

**Disclaimer:** I own Fern and Laurie. That is all. Fern's name is inspired by another author who also borrowed a name from EB White to match Wilbur's. It was either that, or make my OC a boy named Orville. Aren't you glad I went with Fern? Anyway, everything else belongs to Disney, and Far Side belongs to Gary Larson. God bless that man. He makes me laugh.

Chapter 1

Life was good at the Robinson house. Business was booming at Robinson Industries, ideas were flowing like a smooth river, and fresh, young blood was stepping up to the plate. The hardest part for Robinson Industries CEO Cornelius Robinson was choosing which anxious young college grads should win a coveted one-year internship with the company. There was a competition and scholarship set up, and anyone from ninth grade to senior in college was welcome to participate. Often it was very difficult to choose the winners. There were so many new ideas that set even Cornelius' head spinning. He hated having to cut some of them out. But then there were those who made his job easy. A student may have a fantastic idea that was sure to make money, but Neil (as his family called him) could tell by that student's attitude whether they were in it for glory and riches, or whether they truly wanted to help society. Sometimes a brilliant invention was denied the top slot because of its maker's money lust. Neil always wanted to know the story behind the invention, and a student's determination to finish the project and produce a working machine earned them points in Neil's complicated scoring system.

This time the winner was a young woman in her freshman year at Midtown University. She could scarcely believe she won, but with dignity and confidence, she stepped forward to receive her reward. Her year as an intern and the scholarship to go with it would provide most of the college tuition she had left to pay (which was a good deal of it). Work at Robinson Industries would wrap snugly around her college schedule, and still give her some free time. It was an ideal situation.

"Congratulations, Emma Michaels," Neil said as he shook her hand and gave her the plaque that boasted of her accomplishment. The girl left the stage with a heartfelt thank you and a grin that stretched from ear to ear. As she headed back to her group of friends and family, Neil noticed a familiar face joining in the applause. She was an elderly lady with dark skin and silver hair. Neil smiled, remembering that kind face that had welcomed him to the orphanage that was to be his home for the first twelve and a half years of his life.

As the crowds mingled and began to disperse, Neil pulled away from his colleagues and set out to find the woman who helped raise him. He finally found her, chatting with a student's mother near the punch bowl.

"Mildred!"

"Lewis!" Mildred Duffy responded, reaching out to embrace him in a hug. "Or should I say, Cornelius Robinson. I know it's been 30 years, but I still can't help but call you Lewis."

Neil chuckled. "Well, it's been 30 years since I went by Lewis, but it hasn't been that long since I last saw you, has it?"

"No, just 25 years, since the orphanage closed. But it might as well be 30."

"What have you been up to all this time?"

"Oh, I moved to Ohio for a little while, living in an apartment, fostering children."

"Same ol', same ol'," Neil said, smiling. "You were always one of the best people with kids. So are you still there, then?"

Mildred shook her head. "My mother has lived here in town all my life, but she's gotten pretty ill in her old age, so I moved back to take care of her. My brother and his wife will be moving here in a few months, and our mother will move in with him. But I want to be close by. She's in her 90s, and she doesn't have much time left."

Neil nodded. "Best to be close to family when the time comes."

"And speaking of family," Mildred said, reaching into her purse, "I have a purpose for coming today, besides just to see you." She handed Neil an envelope. Neil looked at it and then at her with a curious expression.

"Who is this from?"

Mildred nodded toward the envelope. "Open it and find out."

Neil did so, and as he read the letter, his face showed first shock, then excitement, followed by a concentrated expression that was difficult to read. He read through the letter once and then started to read it again before speaking.

"My birth mother wants to contact me?"

Mildred smiled. "Somehow she found out where I was living. She knew I used to run 6th Street, so she looked me up, and personally showed up at my house, asking me if I knew what had happened to the baby boy she gave up 42 years ago. She went on to describe how she'd left him. She remembered every detail of that night: It was pouring rain, she was carrying her baby in a cardboard box and had wrapped him in the blue blanket she'd kept from the hospital. She described how he'd been born with hair, but it was blond, and it stuck up all over the place. He had beautiful blue eyes, and he was such a good baby. She remembers leaving him on the steps of the orphanage with a note tucked inside the box that told his name, his date of birth, and even which shots he'd already received. But she didn't include his birth certificate or even his last name, let alone the names of his parents. She told me she kept his birthday marked on her calendar every year. She knew the laws of the state, so she didn't begin searching for her son until he turned 18. But that same year, the orphanage closed, and she found herself at a dead end. She gave up the search for years, but resumed it again when she heard somehow that I was back in town. I told her I knew exactly which child she was talking about, and she asked me to send this letter. I decided I'd rather hand deliver it."

Neil glanced down again at the letter in his hand. He'd been waiting all his life for this, whether he'd realized it in recent years or not. Ironically, a few months before he'd experienced the paradox effect of time travel first hand, meeting his twelve-year-old self, who asked him if they'd ever meet their birth mother. Neil had by that point pretty much resigned himself to the fact that he'd probably never meet her, but now all that was changing. He had the opportunity. Who was he to not seize it? Of course, he'd have to talk to Franny first. He looked up (well, down, really) at Mildred again.

"Thank you, Mildred. I...I don't know what to say."

Mildred placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Say you'll respond to her. She has so much she wants to tell you."

"So she writes." Neil sighed, letting the weight of it all settle. "Well, I'd better get home and show this to my wife. But hey, it was good to see you again. You should come over some time, any time. Don't be intimidated by the twins or Lefty. Lefty's just a big softie."

Mildred laughed. "Dare I ask what Lefty's like?"

"Um, well..." Neil said, looking for a good answer. "Let's just say he felt a bit like a fish out of water when he first came to live with us. Now he's more like something out of the Far Side."

"Oh no," Mildred said, laughing louder.

Neil smiled. "Well I'd better get back to the lab so I can close up and get home."

"Have a good rest of the day," Mildred said, hugging him again. "Call me if I can help with the search at all."

"Sure thing."

Mildred left to mingle a while longer. Neil stood lost in his thoughts until a colleague yelled his name, snapping him out of his trance-like stare. He trotted over to help with the general tear down. The entire rest of the day was spent in automatic work mode. Neil's thoughts were elsewhere. He couldn't wait to get home that evening.

Short, I know. But this is more or less the "testing the waters" chapter. Prototype one, if you will. Man, I knew I shoulda started with the Catch That Kid one shot.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

By the time Neil got home, everyone was just sitting down to dinner. Neil took his usual place next to Franny. He scarcely noticed when food was placed in front of him.

"Neil!"

"Huh?" Neil looked up to see Franny giving him a concerned look.

"That's the third time I've said your name. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Neil answered, picking up his fork to start eating.

"What were you brooding about? Some new invention?"

Neil paused. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter. "I saw Mildred today, and she gave me this."

Franny took the letter. "Mildred? You haven't spoken to her in over 20 years! So she's back in town?"

"To take care of her aging mother," Neil confirmed.

As Franny read the letter, her face lit up. "Your birth mother wants to find you? That's wonderful! After all this time, she's finally been able to trace you..."

"Honey, not so loud," Neil protested, not wanting his parents to know everything just yet.

But to no avail. "What's that about your birth mother?" resident gossip Tallulah said.

"Oooh, your birth mother's coming?" Uncle Fritz asked.

"No, she's--" Neil started to say. But he was cut off by Lucille.

"Well, we'll have to make her feel right at home, won't we dear?"

Bud nodded. "Ya hear that, son? Now you'll be able to get the whole story. Can't wait to hear it."

"When is she coming?" Talullah asked.

"Don't pry into the poor guy's past," "Aunt Petunia" scolded her.

Wilbur had less to say than anyone. His biological grandmother? Coming? Here? How'd she even find out where they lived?

Neil held up a hand. "She's not coming over," he clarified. "She just wants to contact me." He smiled, marveling at his family's ability to take this news in stride, as if his birth mother were simply another guest that hadn't been out to see them in a few months. "But maybe, after I've talked to her myself, I'll invite her over."

"Oh, you'd better," Lucille said. "It's not fair if you get to meet her, but the rest of the family doesn't. I'll even bake a special batch of cookies."

Wilbur spoke up for the first time. "Who is she? I mean, besides your birth mother."

Neil took the letter back from Franny. "She says her name is Laurie Ashton. She's 59 years old. Um..." He scanned down the letter, looking for any more information that would satisfy his family's curiosity. "She says she has something very important to tell me (besides the obvious "I'm your birth mother"), and she gave me a number to call."

"Call it!" Petunia shouted.

"Yeah, Neil, call the number," Gaston encouraged. Eventually the encouragement became a chant from everyone at the table except Franny and Wilbur. The latter still sat there with a skeptical look.

Franny shook her head. "After dinner," she chided. "We don't like calls coming in during dinner, so we're not going to make any calls either."

"Aw, c'mon!" Gaston whined. "You gonna take orders from the little sister, Neil?"

Neil held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, she may be your little sister, but she's my wife, and as such she wields more power over me."

"That's right," Franny smirked, more at her brother than at Neil.

Clearly put out, Gaston fired a meatball at Franny. She dodged it easily, but the challenge lapsed into yet another food fight. Franny won, as was often the case, and with that victory came Gaston's willingness to be patient. He stopped bugging Neil about the phone call.

?&?&?&?&?&?&

After dinner, Neil and Franny retreated to their room. Neil would make the call there, where he could have a private conversation with the woman who birthed him. He stared at the phone, nervous. Franny put a hand on his shoulder.

"Call," she said.

Neil reached a shaky hand over and dialed in the number. If someone on the other end picked up, a holographic image of that person would appear. Neil would get to see his birth mother for the first time in 42 years.

Not one to be left out, Wilbur crept up to his parents' closed door and pressed an ear to it.

"Ahem!"

Wilbur spun around to see Carl standing behind him.

"Why are you eavesdropping?"

"I'm not, I'm...spying." Wilbur glanced at his shoes. Caught in the act, he couldn't come up with a good excuse. "Hey, I'm her closest relative after Dad. I think I have a right to know, too."

"And he'll tell you about her when he's good and ready."

"I'm not that patient," Wilbur griped, leaning up against the door again.

Carl sighed and started to walk away. "Your funeral."

Wilbur rolled his eyes. He turned his attention back to what was going on inside the bedroom. The phone was ringing on the other end.

Franny leaned on her husband's shoulder, trying to keep him calm. Neil sighed heavily, his hand clenched in a fist around the letter.

Someone picked up. A holographic image of a woman who looked older than 59 appeared. "Hello?"

"Uh...h-hello, Laurie Ashton?" Neil tried.

"Yes?" the woman responded, looking confused.

Neil looked at Franny, who nudged him to respond. He took a deep breath. "I'm Cornelius Robinson, and..."

"The inventor?" Laurie smiled. "Oh, my. I never imagined getting a call from a celebrity. What brings you around to call an old lady like me?"

Neil smiled. Old? Nah, his parents were old. Although he had to admit, she looked like she could easily be their age. But him, a celebrity? He had to chuckle at the thought. It only lasted a moment, though, before he collected himself and explained the reason for the call. "I believe you've met a friend of mine? Mildred Duffy?"

The woman's smile disappeared as she recognized the name. Neil found it hard to read her expression. "Yes?" she said, more timidly than before.

Neil continued on hesitantly. "She gave me a letter earlier today, containing your information. She wanted me to give you a call."

Laurie remained silent.

"You see...I spent about half of my childhood in the 6th Street Orphanage, under Mildred's care. I was adopted when I was 12. My name up until that point was Lewis. When my parents, Bud and Lucille Robinson, adopted me, they changed my name to Cornelius."

At hearing the name Lewis, Laurie put a hand over her mouth to conceal a gasp.

Neil smiled, unsure of what to say next. "I...was left on the steps of the orphanage as a baby. I often wondered what had happened to my birth mother. After I was adopted, things just started falling into my lap unexpectedly. I was a junior intern at Inventco, where my mom worked, and then I was put in advanced classes. Finally, I went through a college course, and essentially graduated at 14. I guess with all that, and enjoying the family I found, I forgot to look for my birth mother. I admit I...more or less...gave up."

Neil fell silent, waiting for Laurie's response. She too remained silent. But when her hand came away from her mouth, Neil noticed tears running down her cheeks.

"My baby?" she finally said, so softly that Neil barely heard her, and Wilbur, listening at the door, missed it completely.

Neil smiled. "I guess so."

Laurie sobbed openly now. "I've been waiting for this day, and dreading it all at once."

"It had me excited and nervous too," Neil confessed. He swallowed hard, trying to rid himself of the lump forming in his throat. Franny hugged him.

Laurie wiped the tears from her eyes. "And who's this?" she asked, gesturing to Franny, who could be seen, of course, in the hologram on her end.

Neil put an arm around Franny's waist and drew her closer. "This is my beautiful wife of 17 years, Franny."

Laurie gave Franny a broad smile. "I imagine your children must be equally beautiful."

"Only when he's asleep," Franny said.

Neil clarified for her. "We have a 13-year-old son named Wilbur, and he thinks he knows everything."

"Oh, you have to bring him over some time," Laurie said excitedly. "Maybe we can get together in the next few days, all four of us."

"That sounds...great," Neil said. "Yeah, maybe..."

"Let's do lunch on Saturday," Franny offered. Neil looked at her in surprise.

"That sounds wonderful. Come out to my place, and I can order out. Maybe a pizza from that one place in town. What's it called? Galactic Pizza?"

Neil and Franny grinned at each other. "That's my brother-in-law's business," Neil said. "How does Chinese sound? We'll pay."

Laurie gave him a look that said "Shame on you for leaving your brother-in-law out," but she smiled. "Chinese sounds wonderful, and...you don't need to buy. I can scrape some change together."

"Oh, no, we insist," Franny said. "You're opening your home to us, so we'd like to return the favor."

Laurie smiled kindly. "Thank you. I look forward to seeing you in person Saturday. I have so much to tell you." Her smile faded. Obviously not all of her news was good.

Neil pretended not to have noticed her attitude change. "Yeah, I have a lot to tell you, too. I can't wait to meet you in person. Some time soon I'll have to introduce you to the rest of my family. They're chomping at the bit to meet you."

Laurie looked at him nervously. "And...your mom and dad?"

Neil gave her a reassuring smile. "They're the ones heading the welcoming committee. They'll have my hide if I keep you to myself. They'll treat you like you've always been a Robinson. That's how they treat Franny's brothers, and they don't even have the same last name."

Laurie's smile this time was one of genuine relief.

Wilbur listened as the trio inside exchanged addresses, said their good-byes and hung up. That was his cue to get out of there before one of his parents opened the door. He tip-toed away and slipped into his bedroom. The idea of meeting this strange woman who was supposedly his grandmother upset him a bit. He remembered the apprehension he'd shown Lewis at the idea of taking him back to see his mother in the first place. He could only hope this whole situation would turn out for the best. He had to admit, he was curious about her.

Wilbur changed into his pajamas and flopped down on his bed. He'd have to pretend he had no idea what was going to happen Saturday. Surely Laurie Ashton couldn't be all bad? Wilbur curled up and drifted off to sleep, hundreds of thoughts flying through his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Saturday was normally Wilbur's favorite day of the week. He could neglect his homework, and chores more often than not went unheeded. But today was different. Wilbur was feeling his father's mixed emotions of excitement and apprehension. The difference was that Wilbur hid it much better than Cornelius. The evening before Wilbur had been told about the lunch date. He'd managed to convince his parents that he was hearing about the meeting for the first time, and he even showed more excitement than concern. It wasn't that he didn't want his biological grandmother to be a part of his life. It was more the fact that he felt she'd had no right to reject his father like she had. She'd had her chance, and life now was better without her. His family would never have been the same if they'd been the Ashtons instead of the Robinsons.

_I don't know the whole story yet, _he told himself. _She had a perfectly good reason for giving Dad up. Besides, this is now, not the 20th century. There's nothing that meeting her now can change like meeting her then could. Grandma Lucille is still my grandmother. Dad's still a Robinson, and so am I._

When the time came to go into town, Wilbur squared his shoulders and walked with confidence out to the car to meet his parents. (Even though they now flew, vehicles were still referred to as cars.) He greeted his parents with a smile meant to portray excitement.

As the family shouted various bits of encouragement, Neil leaned down and whispered to his son, "I'm glad you're feeling more confident about this than I am."

Wilbur smirked. "It's all in the body language, Dad."

Neil looked at Wilbur, slightly surprised. Wilbur shrugged. Neil decided to take the advice and rolled his own shoulders back, standing straighter, taller, and more confident than his 5'11" frame would suggest. "Let's roll," he said, climbing into the driver's seat of the car.

Franny got the reference and smiled at her husband. "Very noble, dear, but this isn't Flight 93. You're gonna be just fine." She slipped into her own seat, followed by Wilbur. The latter missed the reference completely. To him, Patriot Day was just another day on the calendar. He didn't even get the day off school.

Seat belts clicked into place and the trio took off to meet their long-lost family member.

Upon arriving at the address Laurie had given him over the phone, Neil let out a huge sigh. This was the moment. The family piled out of the car and approached the door of Laurie's apartment. Neil rang the doorbell. As he stepped back, Franny placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

The door opened to reveal an elderly woman with thin gray hair that Wilbur guessed had once been blond. In the streetlights of that night in 1995, it had been hard to tell what color hair lay under that hood.

Laurie Ashton greeted them warmly and ushered them inside. Neil explained that he'd given the Chinese place that address, and the food was due to arrive within the hour. Wilbur noticed that for the moment, mother and son kept a respectful distance.

It was Franny who broke the ice. "Wow! So you're where Neil gets those blue eyes I fell in love with."

Laurie smiled and blushed at the compliment. "That must be it. Although I see now he has his father's nose. Poor thing."

Neil smiled. His nose was the part of his face that had changed the most growing up. It now resembled a ski slope, or so he'd been told. Frequently. Especially by his brothers-in-law.

Wilbur grimaced, having been told that he also bore his father's nose.

"So you go by Neil?" Laurie asked. "Oh, good. I have a tendency to trip over words more than three syllables long."

Neil laughed aloud this time. "I've been told that if your name doesn't fit easily into a given song, it's too long and you need a nickname. For a while even after my name changed I still went by Lewis. My old roommate still calls me that. Franny's actually the one who first called me Neil. My parents almost always call me Cornelius. But don't worry, I didn't drop Lewis completely. It's my middle name, now."

Laurie turned her attention to Wilbur. "And you must be that 13-year-old beautiful-only-when-he's-sleeping son I was told about," she teased.

Wilbur turned red, indignant at the comment.

"He's got Franny's eyes," Neil pointed out. "And her att—confidence!" He stopped short of what he was going to say when he felt, rather than saw, the warning glare his wife shot him. "Uh...yeah...ahem, this is Wilbur."

Wilbur held out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Mrs...uh, Ms. Ashton?"

Laurie took his hand and shook it. "Call me Laurie," she said.

Wilbur sighed in relief. She hadn't asked to be called "Grandma."

A yap from behind startled Wilbur. He turned to see a Dachshund wagging its stubby little tail, curious about these strangers.

"That's Nicky. He gets all excited around strangers. He likes to take them out into the back yard and wear them out first chance he gets. Fern just loves him. And good thing, too. I hardly have the energy to begin keeping up with him."

"Who's Fern?" Wilbur asked immediately.

Laurie handed him a rope toy. "Why don't we all sit down and I'll start the stories? Wilbur, Nicky wants to play, so if you want to listen too, you'll need this to keep him busy."

Wilbur nodded and took the toy. He chose a spot on the floor so Nicky could reach the rope, and the two began a game of tug-o-war.

The adults also took their seats, and Laurie began her story. She hadn't been talking for very long when Nicky dropped the rope and began barking sharply, announcing the arrival of a man who came bearing edible gifts. Wilbur spent the remainder of the conversation teasing the dog with kung pao chicken.

"I grew up in a broken home," Laurie began, "where my mother had to scrape together every last penny to support me and my younger brother. We lived on food stamps, and never once in my memory did we manage to get above the poverty line. In spite of that, I tried very hard to be a good student. I attended Midtown High, and was on the honor roll every semester until my junior year. I wanted to be a pediatrician. That had been my dream since I was a little girl. That's what I was going to go to college to do.

"Well, the absence of a father weighed on me, and I went through a time where I wanted nothing more than to hear a man call me beautiful. It's hard for a poor girl to see herself as being beautiful, but I did my best. Eventually I met Jared, and we began dating our sophomore year. Jared was a year older than me, but he'd failed several classes his freshman year and had basically been held back.

"Jared convinced me that he loved me, and eventually I gave myself to him. Now, of course, we followed the 'safety rules' we'd learned in health class, but nonetheless, I found myself pregnant at the tail end of my sophomore year.

"My mother was very upset. Having a baby meant taking time off of school, and raising the baby meant dropping out of school. Plus it was another mouth for her to feed. We didn't have medical insurance, but Jared's parents offered to help pay for an abortion. Jared worked hard to try and convince me to get an abortion. I even went so far as to schedule an appointment. But in the end I couldn't go through with it. I knew in my heart that there was a little life growing within me. It wasn't just a blob of tissue; it was a human being. Well, I told Mom and Jared that I canceled the appointment, and that I was going to keep the baby. Jared broke up with me, and Mom kicked me out of the house. I ended up staying with my best friend's family until I had the baby. And they ended up paying all my medical bills out of their own pocket. Of course I had a little boy, and of course I named him Lewis.

"They were proud of me for choosing to carry my child to term, but they also kept me grounded in reality. A high school drop out with a baby and no parental support is in a very dangerous situation. Marcy's parents told me that I had a decision to make: Either find someone in my family who could support me and my child while I finished school or got a GED, or give my baby up for adoption. It was far better than staying where I was and having my child taken from me by the state, they told me. They helped me as much as they could, but they couldn't support us forever. Eventually my son and I were going to have to find a new place to stay.

"None of my family, especially my mother, would take me in. I was 17, and had I not had a child of my own, the foster system would have taken me and placed me in a home where I would hopefully be supported. I finally realized there was only one thing I could do. I had to give up my baby.

"Marcy's parents offered to help me start searching for an adoptive family, but I felt like I had been too much of a burden already. So one night I took a cardboard box and wrapped my little boy in the blanket I took from the hospital. I snuck out of the house and walked for six miles in the rain. When I reached the steps of the orphanage, I hugged my baby for the last time and slipped away. It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do."

Laurie stopped at this point to wipe her eyes. She'd been doing fine up until the last few sentences, when she began to choke up. Neil, Franny, and Wilbur were listening intently, and Franny had also begun to tear up. She couldn't imagine having to leave Wilbur on the steps of some orphanage. She instinctively placed a possessive hand on her son's head. Wilbur raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

Laurie continued her story. "I went home and told my mother I'd given the baby up, and she let me stay another week. I eventually dropped out of high school, but later took a test and got my GED. College was laid by the wayside. Jared and I eventually got back together. His family let me move in. He barely graduated high school, and that summer we got married. Marcy was my maid of honor, and her parents told me that if there was anything I needed, I could go to them. I could tell they were disappointed I'd left so suddenly, though.

"For a while I kept in contact with them. After a year or so we lost touch. Eventually problems arose between Jared and I. We fought about everything. I was afraid we were going to end up divorced.

"Eventually I discovered I was pregnant again. I was excited this time, because I thought a baby would make us a family at last. But Jared didn't want a baby now any more than he had when our son was born. When Anna was born, the medical bills put us further into debt, which drove us further apart.

"Eventually we split up. I went to Marcy's parents' house, and they took me in for the night. When our marriage came to an end, Marcy called with news that she'd found a place for me to stay in the city where she was attending college. It was a cheap apartment, but the rent was based on each family's situation, and the landlords even lent a hand with free child care while the parents worked. Most of the families living there were single moms. It turns out the landlords were pastors at a local church Marcy attended, and the apartment set up was their ministry. So I moved up there, and I even managed to earn enough extra money to start attending a few classes.

"Well Anna grew up, and after graduating high school she went off to college in California."

"What happened to Jared?" Neil interrupted.

"Oh, Jared," said Laurie. "He moved up to Canada—back before it became North Montana—and got a job doing I-don't-remember-what. He never wrote, and I raised Anna without the child support he was supposed to be sending. That's part of the reason he left the country, I think. Well, by the time Canada became our 52nd state, he'd drunk himself right into a massive and fatal heart attack. He was 45 when my mother wrote saying she'd seen his name in the obits."

Neil glanced down. So much for meeting his biological father.

"Anyway, Anna married right out of college and had a baby almost right away. Her name is Fern and she's six years old. She is just a beautiful little girl. Which is why it was so tragic that Anna's husband turned out to be an abusive drunk. Anna had to flee for her life. When she got divorced, she was awarded sole custody of Fern. Not even her ex's family could see her. He'd come from a long line of abuse, which is tragic, but understandable. Unfortunately he didn't want help. He's so set in his ways."

Neil's mouth was set in a grim line. He had a sister who'd suffered worse than he had, and even if he had known, there would have been little he could do. "So Anna's my full-blood sister?" he ventured.

"Yes," said Laurie. "Which brings me to what I've been dreading to tell you. I have a duel purpose for wanting to find you."

Neil felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. From the look on Laurie's face, he was not at all going to like what she had to say. Franny put her hand on his and squeezed.

Laurie collected herself. "I have cancer. It's terminal. Doctors have given me less than six months to live. I've opted to stop treatment." She smiled grimly. "I want to have some hair when I die."

"I thought they'd found the cure for cancer like, fifteen years ago," Wilbur said.

"No disease is 100 curable," Laurie answered.

Neil just stared as if he had just been told he were the one with less than a year to live. Six months to make up for 42 years? Impossible. He forced himself to speak calmly. "Wh-what does that have to do with Anna's being my sister? Is she coming to Midtown to help you out? Will I get to meet her?"

Laurie squeezed her eyes closed, trying to ward off tears, but to no avail. Finally she looked up at Neil again. "Anna was killed in a car accident several months ago. Fern's been staying with friends while I try to get things ready for her here."

Neil exhaled in shock. Car accidents were rare these days, but they still happened. And now he would never meet his sister either.

Laurie continued. "After I'm gone, Fern has no place to go. She can't stay with her father's family for obvious reasons. You're her closest living relative after me, so you're the next candidate for custody. I've already told Fern's social worker about you. She'll be here within the week. I'd like her to get to know you, so she can have some sense of stability knowing she still has family. I guess what I'm asking is, would you be willing to take her in after I'm gone?"

Neil sank down in his seat as if a two ton weight had been dropped on him. Wilbur stared at Laurie with an open mouth. So that was the point of all this?

Laurie glanced nervously at her son. "I understand completely if you can't. I mean, the foster care system..."

"Nonsense," Franny said suddenly. "A Robinson would never turn a family member away. Fern will be perfectly safe with us." She spoke up in order to snap Neil back into reality.

It worked. Neil sat up again. "Of course Fern can stay with us. It's just...that really wasn't what I was expecting to hear."

"I know," Laurie said softly.

Neil considered the situation. Finally he spoke again. "How long is your lease on this place?"

"Pay as I go, more or less," Laurie said.

"So you could walk away anytime?"

Laurie looked at him confused, but nodded. "If I have to."

Neil glanced at his wife. Franny seemed to read his thoughts and nodded her approval. Neil turned back to Laurie. "You and Fern should move in with my family. That way, Fern will be perfectly settled when..." He thought about the comment he'd made to Mildred about being close to family when the time came to die. "Well, it would also give us all a chance to get to know you. I have to warn you, though, my family's a bit eccentric."

Laurie opened her mouth in shock. "I-I don't want to be a burden. I'm already throwing my granddaughter at you..."

"You wouldn't be a burden," Franny protested. "You're family. Come stay with us. Please."

Laurie had no response. She looked over at Wilbur, who wore an expression of equal surprise. He glanced at his parents, then back at Laurie.

"Well why not?" he said, smiling. "Laurie..._Grandma _Laurie...do you wanna be a Robinson?"

Laurie smiled brighter than she had all day. Suddenly she reached over and embraced Wilbur in a hug. "That would be wonderful!"

Neil and Franny grinned at each other. Then for the first time in 42 years, Laurie embraced her son. The hug released the tears, and both of them wept together. They were reunited at last, even if it was only for a season.

AN: Whew! That one was a tear jerker. Challenging, too. Laurie was starting to sound long winded. I hope she didn't lose any of you.

Funny how no one notices the connection between the names Wilbur and Fern yet. But they will. I think I'm gonna make Fern's character based on my youngest siblings, which means she'll love soccer and pigs, and she'll have an attitude.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Over the next week, Cornelius and Franny introduced Laurie to different members of the family. The first thing Neil did was to take his parents and Laurie out to lunch. Laurie and Lucille hit it off right away. Both loved baking, and both enjoyed curling up on a chilly day with a warm latte. Lucille joked about the fact that Bud and Neil refused to let her have caffeinated drinks, so she'd have to either drink decaf, or sneak the caffeine in when no one was looking.

"I'm not an addict," Lucille complained.

"Anymore," Cornelius said under his breath.

"Yup," Bud commented, "those were some scary days."

"What days were those?" Laurie asked.

"The days of caffeine withdrawal," Bud said with a shudder. "She went over a week without sleep once!"

Lucille waved them off. "Oh, there were no side effects until after the patches came off."

Cornelius raised an eyebrow at her. "What does 'Barium cobalt Einstein Kool-Aid' mean, then? Because those are the words I distinctly remember you shouting as I walked into the gym the day I met you."

"Well...I suppose I got a little drowsy. But you exaggerate what happened in the days afterward."

"Months," Bud corrected.

Neil shook his head. "You reminded me of the squirrel from _Over the Hedge_."

Laurie laughed. "As long as she's no worse off. Tell you what, Lucille, sometime you and I will have to break away for a girl's day out and go get a coffee."

"Ah..." Neil started. But Lucille cut him off.

"Oh, stop fussing over me, both of you. Even if I was an addict, I'm not any more. And Cornelius, you shouldn't be worried about me. It's my job to worry about you." For added emphasis, Lucille reached over and patted her son on the cheek.

Neil gave Bud a worried look. The elder Robinson shrugged. "There's not a whole lot we can do."

Franny took Lucille's side. "Nothing's happened with the caffeine patches since Wilbur was three. I think they'll be fine."

"The girls are ganging up on us, Dad," Neil half-whispered to Bud.

"We ladies stick together," Laurie stated.

The men gave up trying to persuade Lucille and went back to their lunch. From there the conversation changed to Laurie's moving in with the Robinsons. The women chattered about getting a couple rooms fixed up; one for Laurie, and the other for Fern, the little girl the Robinsons had yet to meet.

"Now, we have to give her time to adjust," said Franny, always the voice of reason. "So when we meet her, we have to be careful not to overwhelm her. Give her a night in her old room at your place, Laurie. Then we can bring her to our house and let her spend the day there."

"That would work out wonderfully," Laurie said. "She's been acting rather surly and independent lately, but what can you expect from a little girl who's just lost her mother?"

Cornelius watched her face fall. He decided to ask a daring question. "What was Anna like?"

Laurie glanced up at him. "Well, she looked a lot like you, actually. I mean, her hair didn't stick up like yours, but it was straight and blond. I have no idea how both my children ended up with straight hair. Mine was curly until I was about twelve..."

Laurie spent the next half hour talking about Anna and Fern. By the time they left, Neil and Franny were sure Fern belonged with them. But that wasn't to say Neil didn't have his doubts.

That evening, Neil discussed the situation with Franny alone in their room.

"She's not gonna trust me," Neil said. "And I don't blame her. If her father was abusive, what right do I have to expect her to trust me?"

Franny gave an exasperated sigh. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Automatically assuming you're going to be rejected. You've got to stop that."

Neil rolled his eyes. "Whether or not I've been rejected in the past is not going to change the simple fact that Fern has no reason to trust me. She's been rejected too, remember?"

"And thus you two have something in common. If anyone will be quick to accept her, it'll be you. She needs a father figure in her life to teach her how to trust again. Otherwise she's just going to take the same path your mother and sister took."

Neil sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. "It's just...I've seen the affect abuse has on kids, and I just don't know how to help them. At the orphanage, I was the kid no one wanted because of my interests and talents. But there were others who came to the orphanage to escape abusive homes. They were always so bitter, and like me, no one wanted them. Yet I didn't know how to reach out to them because I'd never seen what they had seen. Mildred seemed to know how to get them to open up to her, but I couldn't relate to them."

Franny sat down beside him. "So what, you figured 'Why bother?'"

"No!" Neil said defensively. "I...was afraid that I'd make the situation worse, I guess."

"Afraid of being rejected by the rejects."

Neil gave her a sideways glance. "Why does this keep coming back to rejection?"

"Because you still deal with it on a daily basis. I've watched you, Neil. I've known you for thirty years. Don't tell me you've 'gotten over it.' You haven't. You even feed off of it sometimes."

"I do not!"

"You do too! You hole yourself up in the garage or your lab for hours after a hard day at work, and you're reclusive for a week after one of your projects goes south. Sure, you 'keep moving forward,' but often times it's only to avoid a repeat of whatever it was you were rejected for in the first place. You justify yourself with your inventions. You've got to stop giving into rejection."

"I've been trying, if that helps at all."

"You've been very trying at times," Franny said under her breath.

Neil scoffed. "Thanks."

"Love is putting yourself out there where you know you can get hurt," Franny continued. "And love is all Fern's looking for. And yes, she is going to test your resolve. She may try to hurt you, just to see if your love is as unconditional as you say. She expects you to reject her. Don't give in."

Neil remained silent for a moment. "You're right," he finally admitted.

Franny smiled. "Aren't I always?"

Neil sighed. "Well, we've got five days 'till Fern arrives. We best get ready for her."

Franny put a hand on his. "You'll be a good uncle. So stop worrying."

"I'll try. I might need your help."

Franny leaned over and kissed him. "By your side, for better or worse."

R-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n-a-r-y-L-o-v-e

Cornelius, Franny, Wilbur, Laurie, Bud, and Lucille stood waiting at the gate of the airport for Fern to arrive. As passengers filed in, Laurie pointed out a little girl with straight blond hair and waved her over. The two embraced before Laurie introduced her to the others.

"Fern, this is your uncle Cornelius and his family. That's Franny, his wife, and this is Wilbur, your cousin."

Fern didn't even glance at Neil or Franny. She immediately noticed Wilbur, though. She clutched the stuffed pig and the book she was holding tighter.

Wilbur attempted a smile. "Hi, Fern. So, we're cousins, huh? I hope you're not too disappointed. Although it's hard to be disappointed when you find out you're related to Wilbur Robinson."

Franny and Neil rolled their eyes.

Fern spoke. She kept her voice low, so Wilbur had to strain to hear her. "Piggies are my favorite animal," she said.

Wilbur nodded. "Cool."

"And Charlotte's Web is my favorite book. It has a piggy in it named Wilbur, and he's friends with the spider, and with a girl named Fern, like me."

Wilbur smiled. "Sweet. I didn't know that."

"But that still doesn't mean I have to like you," Fern stated flatly.

Wilbur stepped back. "O-o-okay, then. Whatever."

"Fern," Laurie scolded. "Don't be so rude."

Bud and Lucille introduced themselves. Fern looked at Bud curiously.

"Why are your clothes on backwards?"

"Oh, my clothes aren't on backwards," Bud said. "My head is! See?" He turned around to show her the smiley face that was ever present on the back of his head.

Fern giggled. Bud gave her a broad smile. "You're the first person to laugh at that joke since I met Lucille. I like you."

"Hey, I laughed," Neil protested.

"Hmm, maybe you did. I don't remember. Anywho, we'd best get this little lady's luggage and get her settled. Let's go pick it up."

"I have it all," Fern said, pointing to the small suitcase that had been her carry-on.

The Robinsons glanced at one another.

Laurie put a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "She has a lot of her stuff at my place. Come along, dear. Let's get you home. Tomorrow we're going over to your uncle's house to meet the rest of his family."

Franny gave Cornelius a concerned look. "I had no idea she had so little."

"Hey, she's tough," Neil reassured her. "I wouldn't worry too much."

W-h-e-n-L-o-v-e-T-a-k-e-s-Y-o-u-I-n

The next day Laurie and Fern arrived relatively early at the Robinson house. Fern was in a bad mood. She'd been told the game plan the night before, and she wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of living with these strange people. Why couldn't it just be her and Grandma Laurie? And what in the world did "adopted" mean, anyway? How could this man who claimed to be her uncle call her grandma "Mother," when he already had a mom of his own? You can't have two moms! Fern continued her mental rant as Laurie ushered her toward the front door.

As they approached the porch, a man popped up out of the enormous pot to the left.

"Hey, ring my doorbell!"

In response, an identical man popped up out of the pot on the right. "No, ring MY doorbell. His doorbell's defective."

Laurie and Fern gave them curious looks. "Why don't I just knock," Laurie suggested, and turned to do so.

"Aw, no!" one twin cried.

"Not fair!" the other pouted.

Fern giggled and stuck out her tongue at both of them.

The door opened to reveal a huge octopus. Laurie gasped, and Fern screamed. Before either could respond further, a familiar voice drifted around the sea creature.

"Those must be out guests," Grandpa Bud said. "I'll show them in, Lefty."

Lefty grunted in response and moved aside, opening the door wider as he went. Bud slipped around him and greeted the newcomers warmly.

"Welcome to the Robinson house! Come in! Can't have ya sittin' out here all day, can we? Just give Lefty your bags and..."

"We left 'em in the car," Fern said. "We ain't gonna get 'em yet."

"Alrighty," said Bud. "Well, let me introduce you to the rest of the family. You've already met our butler, Lefty. The twins there are Spike and Dimitri."

Bud pointed to each twin as he said their names. Fern glanced at Lefty again.

"He almost gave us a heart attack, didn't he, Grandma?"

Laurie nodded. "He certainly startled us."

Bud smiled. "Oh, Lefty's just a big softie, aren't ya, big fella?"

Lefty grunted, and his usually purple hue turned a deep red. An octopus is capable of changing its skin color to match its mood, and when Lefty turned red, it was because he was either mad or embarrassed. To hide the fact that he was blushing, Lefty held one tentacle up to his eye.

"Well," said Bud, "let's go find Cornelius and get you two settled." He led Laurie and Fern out of the foyer and into the main part of the house.

As they toured the house, searching for Cornelius, they encountered each of the other family members save Wilbur, who was at school. Fern was thrilled by Aunt Billie's train. Uncle Art was a little intimidating, and Fern declined his offer to let her ride in his ship while he delivered pizza. Laurie was relieved she didn't have to step in herself. At one point Laurie had to clap a hand over Fern's mouth, as the little girl was about to comment that Uncle Joe was really fat. Fern decided right away that she didn't like Tallulah and Laszlo (they fought too much), but she thought Fritz and Petunia were the funniest people she'd met so far. Gaston, she decided, was just plain crazy. But when he told her about the food fights the family often had, Fern figured she could at least stay for dinner.

One of the last places they stopped was the concert hall, where Bud knew he was most likely to find Franny. And of course she was there, conducting her amphibian orchestra.

"Frogs!" Fern exclaimed, much the same way Lewis had when the twelve-year-old boy that would become Cornelius had visited from the past.

"Genetically enhanced frogs," Franny specified.

Laurie and Fern listened excitedly as the frogs finished their song. When the song was over, Fern wanted to know every frog's name. She wasn't surprised to hear that most of them had names beginning with f, such as Ferdinand, Freddy, Floyd, Francis, and the lead singer, Frankie.

"Franny, we're looking for Cornelius," Bud said. "You haven't seen him around, have you?"

"Last I checked, he was in his lab, up in the solarium," Franny said. "He was in the middle of one of those complicated equations. I can show Laurie and Fern to their rooms."

"Works for me," Bud replied. "I'll just pop upstairs and try to pull Cornelius away from his whiteboard."

Bud turned to head down the hall, while Franny took charge of Fern and Laurie. "Neil gets caught up in his work a lot," Franny explained.

"What can you expect from a genius?" Laurie said.

Franny guided them to their rooms, which were right next to each other. The Robinsons had consulted Laurie on how to prepare Fern's room, and she opened the door to discover a world of pink, purple, and piggies. She was certainly impressed, but the knowledge that she wouldn't be staying in her old room anymore kept her from rejoicing. She picked up one of the stuffed pigs that sat on the bed.

"Fern, look at your room!" Laurie said excitedly. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Fern mumbled.

"It's so much bigger than your old room."

"Too big."

"And so much more...purple."

"Too purple."

Laurie looked at her granddaughter in surprise. "Oh, there's no such thing as 'too purple.'"

"Yeah there is."

"You would have loved it if we could have made your old room look like this."

Fern stomped a foot. "Why can't we? Why do I have to have a new room for it to be purple? I want my old room back!"

"Fern, please," Laurie scolded. "You know better than to behave like that in front of our hosts."

"Mommy never made me stay in someone else's house when she wasn't there. And we always shared a room."

Franny decided to step in. "Fern, I know this must be a hard time for you. But we set this place up because we wanted to show you how much we care about you."

Fern stuck out her lower lip. "You don't even know me."

"Maybe not very well," said Franny. "But we've already seen that you're a very special little girl, and we're so excited to find out you're part of our family. So we just want to help take care of you. You'll have a place to come after school, even when your grandma has to run errands or something in town. And there's so much to do around here; so much we all want to share with you because you are a member of our family."

"You're not my family!" Fern cried. "My family's my mom and Grandma. And you're not them! I don't wanna live here!" With that she pushed past both women and ran out of the room.

"I am so sorry," Laurie began.

"No, that's okay," Franny said, her heart going out to the little girl. "She's just reacting the way any child would in her situation. We can hope she heals quickly, but we all knew we needed to be ready for this."

Laurie was tearing up now. "Thank you for being so understanding."

Franny nodded. "Let's get you settled in your room. Then we can introduce Nicky to Buster."

Fern, meanwhile, was running down the hall with nowhere in particular to go. She wasn't watching where she was going and ended up smacking into her newly-discovered uncle. She landed hard on her butt.

"Whoa, I'm sorry!" Cornelius apologized, extending a hand to help her up. Fern took it reluctantly, pulling her hand away again the moment she was on her feet. Neil noticed she was crying.

"Is everything OK?"

"No," Fern replied. "I don't like it here. I'm gonna run away."

Neil knelt down. "I'm sorry to hear that, 'cause we like you. A lot. In fact, we love you. Franny's brothers won't get married, so I've never had any nieces or nephews until I met you. And I'm really excited to have a niece now. So...I hope you're OK with having a geeky inventor for an uncle."

"Don't want an uncle," Fern muttered. "I'm gonna walk all the way back to California."

"But we'd miss you. Especially your grandma."

"Well..." Fern pondered the situation.

"Your grandma loved your mom, too," Neil continued. "And she needs you now. You need each other. And we want you here. So if your grandma gives us a chance, can you give us a chance too?"

Fern wiped her nose on her sleeve and nodded. "But do I hafta call everyone uncle and aunt?"

Neil smiled. "Of course not. Not even me."

"Fine," said Fern. "But I'm only staying for Grandma."

"Fair enough." Neil stood up and placed a gentle hand on Fern's shoulder, intending to steer her back toward her room. But Fern jerked away at his touch.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed.

Neil took a step back, surprised at her outburst. He bit his lip, remembering Lauire's story of Fern's father. "Okay, I'm sorry. I won't touch you."

Fern held her head up, triumphant. "Mommy told me never to trust strangers, especially men." She turned on her heel and stomped off.

Neil stood staring after her for a moment. The insult had made its mark. Franny was right; he still dealt with rejection. _I'm not a stranger, _he thought. _I'm not like your father. I love you. Like a father should love a child._

**AN:**It occurred to me recently that I subconsciously named Lauire after the gal who voiced Lucille. How 'bout that. Anyway, the seemingly random subtitles are my attempt to find a page break that will translate from my computer to the fanfiction document archive. They're song titles, and I've got a few more in mind. The songs, of course, will pertain somehow to the story.

I've never dealt directly with a child who's been abused. So I hope I'm capturing Fern's feelings and temper correctly. I'm open for ideas that will help keep Fern true to life, but still open to the zany love the Robinsons have to give.


End file.
